Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Council’s Economy and Jobs Manager providing an update on the progress made to deliver the Jobs Strategy 2011-2014 in its final year from 1^st April 2013 to 1^st March 2014.

The Board received a briefing that provided details of the City Council’s Jobs Strategy performance for 1^st April 1st 2013 to 31^st March 2014, ahead of consideration of a report to Cabinet on 5^th August 2014.

The Coventry Jobs Strategy 2011-2014 had seen changing economic circumstances resulting in improvements: unemployment fell; business confidence grew; and new infrastructure projects came forward in the City. The Jobs Strategy for Coventry outlined the action that Coventry City Council was taking to lead in the creation of new jobs in the City and the promotion of economic growth. Key Objectives of the Strategy were to: secure job opportunities through investment; help people get jobs; and help people improve their skills. All performance measures had been met and had exceeded the targets set for the year.

Working with local businesses 1,292 job opportunities across the sub region had been created through new businesses moving into the City as well as existing businesses expanding and creating new jobs.  Council services had supported 309 businesses during 2013/14, including offering advice on a range of issues such as financial, marketing, business planning, people management and well-being. The number of people that had engaged with the Employment Team far exceeded the target of 2,500 set for the year, with nearly 7,000 people accessing employment support. The Construction Shared Apprenticeship Scheme won a number of awards and met its performance target of 30 young people starting an apprenticeship and, to date, 92% of those completing the Scheme had progressed onto employment, self-employment or further training.

In addition to the City Council’s Job Shop (minute 3 above refers), in February 2014 a new service called the Employer Hub was launched, designed to meet businesses recruitment and skills needs whilst widening access to vacancies for local people. Skills data, provided by the Skills and Growth Team had also been used to strategically influence training delivery in the City to ensure that curriculum delivery matched skills demands.

Community benefit clauses were now written into development contracts that the City Council procured, as well as including wording in grant awards to businesses and in sales particulars when Council land or property was sold. This would create additional employment and training opportunities for unemployed people in the City. 

The Jobs Strategy provided an inclusive improvement in the economic wellbeing of the City and its residents by seizing investment opportunities and reducing inequalities across Coventry through ensuring that support was provided to those who needed it most, and in May 2014, Cabinet approved the Council’s second three-year strategy for Jobs and Growth for 2014-2017.

The Board discussed a number of matters arising from the briefing including:

·  Acknowledgement of achievement in respect of the exceeded targets in the Jobs Strategy 2011-2014 and the need for rigorous monitoring and regular reviewing of progress and targets in the Jobs and Growth Strategy 2014-2017, to maximise progress.

·  Private Sector, Public Sector and Further Education Organisations buy-in to the Strategy – essential for success of proposals.

·  Proposals for outreach work.

·  Colleges and Universities – development of curriculum delivery to match skills demands.

·  Statistics required to determine skills needs and employment opportunities.

·  Essential support for basic skills training

·  Development contracts – the inclusion/identification of funding in the planning, commissioning and procurement process to support training and development of skills for local people.

·  The support available on self-employment for shred apprentices.

Members requested that a briefing note on the support available on self-employment for shared apprentices, be circulated to the Board.

RESOLVED that the Business, Enterprise and Economy Scrutiny Board (3):

1)  Acknowledges the achievements of the Jobs Strategy for 2011-2014 and confirms it’s support for the new Jobs and Growth Strategy for 2014-2017, with emphasis on the growth and job creation elements of the Strategy, and requests that the Board’s comment be forwarded to Cabinet when they consider the ‘Delivering the Jobs Strategy-Annual Progress 2013/2014’ report on 5^th August 2014.

2)  Progress on the 2014-2017 Coventry Jobs and Growth Strategy be reported to the Scrutiny Board at half yearly and annual stages.